It is known that the vehicle seat can be folded and tumbled forward. The vehicle seat being tumbled forward can be removed from the vehicle floor to make available a large space in the vehicle for cargo. The known vehicle seat apparatus disclosed in a U.S. Patent published as No. U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,051 includes a first latch mechanism provided at the front portion of a seat cushion frame and a second latch mechanism provided at the rear portion of the seat cushion frame. The first latch mechanism is engagable and disengagable relative to a first striker mechanism fixed to the floor, and the second latch mechanism is engagable and disengagable relative to a second striker mechanism.
The vehicle seat apparatus is mounted to the vehicle floor as follows. First, a first recess of a lower bracket of the first latch mechanism engages with a first striker of the first striker mechanism, then the seat apparatus is horizontally moved, and finally a second recess of a bracket of the second latch mechanism engages with a second striker of the second striker mechanism. In this configuration, it is difficult to mount the vehicle seat at the vehicle floor in case that the seat is heavy, and the compartment of the vehicle is dark.
The vehicle seat apparatus is removed from the vehicle floor as follows. Firstly, an operating handle is uplifted while the vehicle seat apparatus is tumbled forward, then a hook member of the first latch mechanism is pivotally moved, and the first recess of the lower bracket of the first latch mechanism become being disengagable from the first striker of the first striker mechanism. Then the vehicle seat apparatus being tumbled forward is uplifted in the obliquely upward direction while the first recess of the lower bracket of the first latch mechanism remains being disengagable from a first striker of the first striker mechanism, and the first latch mechanism is completely disengaged from the first striker mechanism, and finally the vehicle seat apparatus is placed on the vehicle floor or carried out of the vehicle.
When the vehicle seat apparatus being tumbled forward is removed, the operating handle need to be uplifted for disengaging (unlocking) the first recess of the lower bracket of the first latch mechanism from the first striker of the first striker mechanism while the vehicle seat apparatus is moved in the obliquely upward direction. Thus, in aforementioned configuration, it is difficult to remove the vehicle seat apparatus from the floor because the two different operations, the handle operation and the seat removing operation, are needed to be done at the same time. In addition, when the first striker is not completely disengaged from the first recess due to that the operation handle in not fully operated, the seat remove operation need to be started again from the beginning. The present invention therefore seeks to provide a vehicle seat apparatus to solve aforementioned problems.